News
122 Agencies Fail To Remit N1.2trn Surplus Revenues, FG Admits
The Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) has said 122 Federal Government agencies have failed to remit N1.2trillion operating surpluses to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).
The Acting Chairman of the commission, Barrister Victor Muruako, disclosed this at a management retreat, yesterday, saying that the unremitted revenue are often mismanaged.
“Today, our records still show that most of the 122 agencies of government are in default of more than N1.2trillion which can fund a substantial portion of the FGN budget deficit if remitted in line with Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007.
“These sums are calculated from the already submitted end of year audited accounts of the defaulting agencies, which means the monies can be traced and recovered,” he said.
Muruako said FRC has caused these Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs) to remit over N1.7trillion to the CRF, but noted that the Commission was starving of funds as it only has N380million in the 2020 budget to operate with.
On curbing these unremitted surpluses, he said, “The commission has insisted that only if the government can implement the FRC’s recommendations of reining in more GOEs in the Schedule of the FRA, 2007, there might be no need for the government to go borrowing to fund the budget.”
The FRC boss also said from the initial 31 corporations captured by the Act, 92 other firms have been added by the Ministry of Finance based on FRC’s recommendations, which caused GOEs to remit the N1.7trillion to the CRF.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government, yesterday, raised concerns that lack of collaboration between Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) affect service delivery and increasing cost of governance.
It says that going forward, interagency collaboration will be pushed in order to make rapid progress in service delivery.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said this in a paper entitled “Reflection on ministerial performance” on the second day of the First Year Ministerial Performance Review Retreat held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
According to him, significant progress has been made in the nine priority areas of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, noting that while the scorecard of ministries showed that much progress has been made on several fronts, a lot more needed to be done in meeting set targets.
Mustapha said: ‘Several ministries have made significant strides in the pursuit of their objectives and we shall take steps towards supporting them to do more.
“Some others have been challenged by a number of factors and we will take steps towards addressing these challenges and supporting them.
“These challenges, some of which we have identified; such as the need to collaborate at the priority area level and avoiding the debilitating effects of working in silos.
“This challenge has hampered speed, efficiency, effective delivery, and in several instances has added to, and increased the cost of running the Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
“We will have to support government to work in a more joined up manner and ensure that interagency collaboration becomes the norm, rather than the exception.
“It is our collective task to maximise the opportunities, mitigate and minimise the challenges in order that we can make rapid progress going forward.”
The SGF reiterated that the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic have had an adverse effect on nations across the globe, including Nigeria.
According to him, several projects have either slowed down, and in some cases, have stalled altogether as a result of the pandemic.
Mustapha, however, assured that “we shall weather this storm and indeed actively seek and exploit the opportunities that it presents. The Economic Sustainability Plan which was presented by Mr. Vice President, is one of the ways the government has responded towards cushioning the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Low revenues which have affected the timely release of funds, especially for the implementation of capital projects have been repeatedly mentioned as one of the major constraints to the implementation of MDA’s programmes and projects.
“We will not rest on our oars in seeking other alternative sources to raise funds for projects beyond revenue from government.”
Another area of concern, according to the SGF is the issue of inadequate capacity in the public service, which he described as a critical challenge that must be addressed.
He noted that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation is currently working in that regard.
Mustapha said in order to address other related constraints, interagency collaboration and partnerships in government, as well as explore private sector resourcing in key MDAs where subject matter experts equipped with strategic skill sets to facilitate project delivery are required, will be encouraged.
“Our commitment going forward is to build on the progress we have made in the past year, reflect on the lessons learned, fix those issues that have proved to be impediments, double our efforts and ensure that this time next year when we gather again to review progress, we will be reporting more tremendous gains and achievements.
“To achieve this objective, it is planned that the Delivery Unit at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will support the ministers and the respective MDAs towards the actualization of this objective.
“Going forward, we need to formulate more home grown solutions, which I believe you have actually deliberated upon during the breakout sessions yesterday (Monday), to see what and how people in other climes are faring and where it suits, adopt and adapt what has worked as the World Bank Chief Economist suggested yesterday,” he added.
The SGF also assured ministers that his office will continue to support them on prioritisation of initiatives to focus on key projects and ensure alignment to the President’s overall objectives.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.